System and method for permitting recordation of voice transmissions among group members of a communication group of wireless communication devices

ABSTRACT

A system, method, and computer readable product for allowing a member of a mobile communications group, such as a push-to-talk (PTT) group, to receive indications from at least one other mobile communication device that a current conversation or talk spurt may be recorded. The member may further record or receive the recorded conversation or talk spurt, and store the recorded conversation or spurt in a local memory for later retrieval or automatic playback.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to point-to-point or point-to-multipointwireless communications systems. More specifically, the presentinvention relates to systems and methods for recording voicetransmissions between members of a communicating group of wirelesstelecommunication devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

In wireless telecommunication devices, such as cellular phones, PDAs,mini-laptops, and advanced pagers, there exists a wirelesstelecommunication service that provides a quick one-to-one orone-to-many communication that is generically referred to as“Push-To-Talk” (PTT) capability. The specific PTT group of recipientdevices for the communicating wireless device is commonly set up by thecarrier. A PTT communication connection is typically initiated by asingle button-push on the wireless device that activates a half-duplexlink between the speaker and each member device of the group and oncethe button is released, the device can receive incoming PTTtransmissions once the button is released. In some arrangements, the PTTspeaker will have the “floor” where no other group member can speakwhile the speaker is speaking. Once the speaker releases the PTT button,any other individual member of the group can engage their PTT button andthey will have the floor.

In many cases it would be desirable for members of a PTT group to recordpart or all of a PTT session. For example, it may be more convenient formembers to record important details of a session by recording thesession rather than writing down the salient details during the courseof a conversation. In many cases it may not be possible for a member towrite, for example if the member is engaged in other activities. Inexisting PTT systems, however, it is difficult or not possible to recordparts of a communication session. Furthermore, if a participant needs toexit a PTT session, the participant must later contact one of the otherparticipants to review the content of the session.

In other cases, voice communications may only be recorded via a voicemessaging system. Such as system requires intervention by a centrallyavailable voice messaging system. Visual voice mail requires a serverfor the user to pull down a file. The voice mail messages must berecorded and saved to the server.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and methodthat may obtain the desired permissions to record part or all of a PTTsession and for a wireless device member of a group the session torecord the session. It would further be advantageous for the session tobe recorded and stored locally such that a centrally accessible serveris not required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, the present invention includes a system, method,computer readable product, and wireless communication device that allowsa member of a PTT group to receive indications from at least one othermobile communication device that a current conversation or talk spurtmay be recorded. The member may further record or receive the recordedconversation or talk spurt on the device, and store the recordedconversation or spurt in a local memory for later retrieval or automaticplayback.

In one embodiment, a member of a PTT group (“talker”) may indicate thatthe next talk spurt is available for saving by other members of the PTTgroup (“targets”) by pressing the PTT button. The talker may continue tospeak to the PTT group, including content comprising information thatmay be desirable for recording. The target devices may hear the PTTvoice in real time as normally heard, and may further be presented theoption of recording or saving the talk spurt for later playback as avoice “sticky note.” Optionally, the voice sticky note may be allowed tobe forwarded to other PTT users or internet portals and stored on aserver.

In a further embodiment, the method for recording a talk spurt mayfurther include implicit or explicit permission to record the talkspurt. By having the talker mark a talk spurt as allowable to be saved,the talker may provide implied permission to record the talk spurt.

In a further embodiment, a verbal PTT conversation can be displayed as a“chunk” of spoken audio in a timeline (with time stamp). Suchvisualization can have all PTT audio displayed in a chronological orderand differentiates audio from each speaker by attributes, such as coloror positioning, or the combination of several methods. The PTT user isthen able to click on an audio “chunk” to replay and or archive anentire conversational exchange on the PTT system where that user is aparticipant.

The present system and method are therefore advantageous in that acentrally accessible server is not required to implement the stickyvoice note. Members of a PTT group may thus save important informationthat the talker is speaking (e.g., phone numbers, directions, accountnumbers, etc.) for later playback. Targets may hear the talker's voiceas it is being recorded, and the resulting voice sticky note may beavailable locally without being stored and forwarded.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent after review of the Brief Description of the Drawings,Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a representative diagram of a wireless network with adesignated PTT group of wireless telecommunication devices communicatingwith a group communication server and other computer devices across thewireless network.

FIG. 2 is a representative diagram of one embodiment of a wirelessnetwork in a common cellular telecommunication configuration, having agroup communication server control communications between the wirelesstelecommunication devices of PTT group members.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the computer platform of thewireless telecommunication device with PTT capability.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of one embodiment of the software layers of thecommunication group application resident on the computer platform of themobile communications device, with a PTT client and a group-directedmedia client.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary mobile communications device.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary process when the permission to recordoriginates from the talker and is unsolicited by other group members.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary process incorporating some of theembodiments disclosed herein.

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict an exemplary process incorporating some of theembodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary process of an embodiment that allows the storageand replay of chunks of PTT voice data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this description, the terms “mobile communication device,”“communication device,” “wireless device,” “wireless communicationsdevice,” “PTT communication device,” “handheld device,” “mobile device,”and “handset” are used interchangeably. The terms “call” and“communication” are also used interchangeably. The term “application” asused herein is intended to encompass executable and non-executablesoftware files, raw data, aggregated data, patches, and other codesegments. The term “exemplary” means that the disclosed element orembodiment is only an example, and does not indicate any preference ofuser. The term “group communication” means point-to-point orpoint-to-multipoint communication effected in a real or virtualhalf-duplex communication. Further, like numerals refer to like elementsthroughout the several views, and the articles “a” and “the” includesplural references, unless otherwise specified in the description.

With reference to the figures in which like numerals represent likeelements throughout, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the system 10for sharing group media among one or more wireless telecommunicationdevices in a PTT group 12, such as the wireless telephone 14, smartpager 16 and personal digital assistant (PDA) 18, with other wirelesstelecommunication devices across a wireless network 20. In the system10, each wireless telecommunication device 14,16,18 is capable ofselectively directly communicating across the wireless communicationnetwork 20 with a target set of one or more other wirelesstelecommunication devices of the plurality. For example, the target setfor mobile telephone 14 can be all devices in the communication group 12or a subset thereof, such as pager 16 and PDA 18.

In this embodiment, the wireless telecommunication device (such asmobile telephone 14) sends a flag to at least the group communicationcomputer device, shown here as server 32, which is present on aserver-side LAN 30 across the wireless network 20, to indicate that thewireless device is present, i.e. accessible, on the wireless network 20.The group communication computer device 32 can share this informationwith the set of target wireless telecommunication devices designated bythe first wireless telecommunication device, or can also share is withother computer devices resident on the server-side LAN 30 or accessibleacross the wireless network 20. The group communication computer device32 can have an attached or accessible database 34 to store the groupidentification data for the wireless devices. A data store 36, shownhere as file management server, is also present on the server-side LAN30. It should be appreciated that the number of computer componentsresident on server-side LAN 30, or across the wireless network 20, orInternet generally, are not limited.

The direct communication, such as a PTT communication, can beestablished through a half-duplex channel (true or virtual, i.e. afull-duplex channel is open but the device only broadcasts and receivesin half-duplex mode) between the communicating wirelesstelecommunication device 14,16,18 and the one or more other wirelesstelecommunication devices of the target set. Also, the groupcommunication computer device 32 can attempt to bridge the requesteddirect communication with the target set if at least one of the wirelesstelecommunication devices of the target set have informed the groupcommunication computer device 32 of their presence on the wirelessnetwork 20.

The group communication computer device 32 can also inform the wirelesstelecommunication device 14,16,18 of the inability to bridge a directcommunication to the target set 12 upon none of the wirelesstelecommunication devices (or at least one) of the target set not havinginformed the group communication computer device 32 of their presence onthe wireless network 20. Further, while the group communication computerdevice 32 is shown here as having the attached database 34 of groupidentification data, the group communication computer device 32 can havegroup identity data resident thereupon, and perform all storagefunctions described herein.

In overview, the system 10 includes at least one wireless communicationdevice, such as mobile telephone 14, that is a member of a communicationgroup 12 of wireless communication devices that communicate with eachother in direct group communications across a wireless communicationnetwork 20, the at least one wireless communication device configured toselectively send group-directed media to other members of thecommunication group 12. At least one group communication computer device32 is configured to store information on communication groups 12 on thewireless communication network 20, the information including theidentity of the specific member wireless communication devices of one ormore communication groups. The group communication computer device 32 isfurther configured to selectively receive group-directed media from asending wireless communication device, such as mobile telephone 14, of acommunication group 12 and send the group-directed media to the othermember wireless communication devices of the communication group 12 forthe sending wireless communication device.

The system 10 can further include a data store 36 in communication withthe group communication computer device(s) 32, with the groupcommunication computer device 32 configured to send group-directed mediato the data store 36, as is further described herein. The data store 36configured to receive the group-designated media from the wirelesscommunication device (such as mobile phone 14) and selectively permitmembers of the communication group 12 for which the group-directed mediawas sent to access the stored group-directed media across the wirelesscommunication network 20.

The group-directed media can be graphic media, such as pictures in JPEG,TIF, and the like, audio files such as MP3, MP4, WAV, and the like. Themedia can also be streaming media, such as a multimedia application(Powerpoint, MOV file, and the like). The group-directed media can alsobe streaming media, or an interactive session on another computer deviceon the wireless communication network 20, such as a game hosted on datastore 36 or private bulletin board. For example, participants in a gamecan chat via the group-communication about the ongoing game. Also, thegroup-directed media could be half-duplex video conferencing amongmembers of the communication group wherein the picture of the speaker isbroadcast to the other group members in substantial real-time, or indelay.

The size of these media files can be very large, and because of thepotential delay of sending the media, or inability of the receivingwireless communication device to handle the sent media, the system 10can use a data store 36 (or file management server or other computerdevice) to store the group-directed media such that target members ofthe communication group 12 can selectively access the stored mediawithout interrupting other PTT communications. The data store 36 can beconfigured to automatically send the group-directed media to each of themember wireless devices of the communication group 12 upon establishinga communication link therewith. Alternatively, in one embodiment, if thegroup-directed media is stored at the data store 36, the groupcommunication computer device 32 or the data store 36 can send ahyperlink to the other member wireless communication devices of thecommunication group 12, that will provides a link to the storedgroup-directed media at the data store 36. Upon receipt of thegroup-directed media by at least one of the member wireless devices ofthe communication group, the group communication computer device 32 cansend to the wireless communication device 14,16,18 sending thegroup-directed media an acknowledgement that at least one memberwireless communication device of the communication group 12 received thegroup-directed media.

The wireless communication device 14,16,18 can send communication groupidentification data to the group communication computer device 32 at thetime of requesting the group-directed media to be sent, e.g. send atarget list, and thus, the group communication device 32 will send orstore the group-directed media to the member wireless communicationdevices identified in the communication group identification data basedupon a variety of criteria as is further discussed herein. Alternately,prior to the wireless communication device sending group-directed media,the wireless communication device 14,16,18 can request member data for acommunication group 12 from the group communication computer device 32,and the group communication computer device 32 can send one or moreaddresses or communication group addresses to the wireless communicationdevice 14,16,18. In one embodiment, the communication group computerdevice 32 can filter the potential communication groups available.

As is further described herein, the wireless communication device14,16,18 can be engaged in a group communication with the memberwireless communication devices of the communication group 12 and sendgroup-directed media during the group communication in the samecommunication session, or independently therefrom. Alternately, thegroup-directed media can be sent independently of thegroup-communication session.

FIG. 2 is a representative diagram of one embodiment of a wirelessnetwork in a common cellular telecommunication configuration, having aseries of group communication computer devices (group communicationservers) 32 that control communications between the wirelesscommunication devices of set group members (devices 70,72,74,76) in aPTT system. The wireless network is merely exemplary and can include anysystem whereby remote modules communicate over-the-air between and amongeach other and/or between and among components of a wireless network 20,including, without limitation, wireless network carriers and/or servers.A series of group communication servers 32 are connected to a groupcommunication server LAN 50. Wireless telephones can request packet datasessions from the group communication server(s) 32 using a data serviceoption.

The group communication server(s) 32 are connected to a wireless serviceprovider's packet data service node (PDSN) such as PDSN 52, shown hereresident on a carrier network 54. Each PDSN 52 can interface with a basestation controller 64 of a base station 60 through a packet controlfunction (PCF) 62. The PCF 62 is typically located in the base station60. The carrier network 54 controls messages (generally in the form ofdata packets) sent to a messaging service controller (“MSC”) 58. Thecarrier network 30 communicates with the MSC 32 by a network, theInternet and/or POTS (“plain ordinary telephone system”). Typically, thenetwork or Internet connection between the carrier network 54 and theMSC 58 transfers data, and the POTS transfers voice information. The MSC58 can be connected to one or more base stations 60. In a similar mannerto the carrier network, the MSC 58 is typically connected to thebranch-to-source (BTS) 66 by both the network and/or Internet for datatransfer and POTS for voice information. The BTS 66 ultimatelybroadcasts and receives messages wirelessly to and from the wirelessdevices, such as cellular telephones 70,72,74,76, by short messagingservice (“SMS”), or other over-the-air methods known in the art. Itshould also be noted that carrier boundaries and/or PTT operator networkboundaries do not inhibit or prohibit the sharing of data as describedherein.

Cellular telephones and mobile telecommunication devices, such aswireless telephone 14, are being manufactured with increased computingcapabilities and are becoming tantamount to personal computers andhand-held PDAs. These “smart” cellular telephones allow softwaredevelopers to create software applications that are downloadable andexecutable on the processor of the wireless device. The wireless device,such as cellular telephone 14, can download many types of applications,such as web pages, applets, MIDlets, games and data. In wireless devicesthat have designated a communication group 12 (FIG. 1), the wirelesscommunication device can directly connect with the other member of theset and engage in voice and data communication. However, all such directgroup communications will occur through, or at the control of, the groupcommunication computer device 32. All data packets of the devices do notnecessarily have to travel through the group communication computerdevice 32 itself, but the group communication computer device 32 must beable to ultimately control the communication because it will typicallybe the only server-side 30 component that is aware of and/or canretrieve the identity of the members of the communication group, ordirect the identity of the members of the communication group 12 toanother computer device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the wirelesstelecommunication device being a mobile telephone 14 with a PTT button78 that opens the direct group communication to a target set of devices,i.e. other members of the communication group 12. The wireless device 14is also shown as having a graphics display 80 to the user of thewireless device 14. The wireless device 14 includes a computer platform82 that can handle voice and data packets, and receive and executesoftware applications transmitted across the wireless network 20 toinclude the group-directed media. The computer platform 82 includes,among other components, an application-specific integrated circuit(“ASIC”) 84, or other processor, microprocessor, logic circuit,programmable gate array, or other data processing device. The ASIC 84 isinstalled at the time of manufacture of the wireless device and is notnormally upgradeable. The ASIC 84 or other processor executes anapplication programming interface (“API”) layer 86, which includes theresident application environment, and can include the operating systemloaded on the ASIC 84. The resident application environment interfaceswith any resident programs in the memory 88 of the wireless device. Anexample of a resident application environment is the “binary runtimeenvironment for wireless” (BREW) software developed by QUALCOMM® forwireless device platforms.

As shown here, the wireless device can be a mobile telephone 14, with agraphics display 80, but can also be any wireless device with a computerplatform 82 as known in the art, such as a personal digital assistant(PDA), a pager with a graphics display 80, or even a separate computerplatform 82 that has a wireless communication portal, and may otherwisehave a wired connection to a network or the Internet. Further, thememory 88 can be comprised of read-only or random-access memory (RAM andROM), EPROM, EEPROM, flash cards, or any memory common to computerplatforms. The computer platform 82 can also include a local database 90for storage of software applications not actively used in memory 88. Thelocal database 90 is typically comprised of one or more flash memorycells, but can be any secondary or tertiary storage device as known inthe art, such as magnetic media, EPROM, EEPROM, optical media, tape, orsoft or hard disk. The graphics display 80 can present not onlyinformation about the ongoing group call, but also the information onthe group-directed media, to include a file preview as is more fullydescribed herein.

In this embodiment of the wireless device, the computer platform 82 alsoincludes a direct communication interface 92 that can open the directcommunication channel from the wireless device. The direct communicationinterface 92 can also be part of the standard communication interfacefor the wireless device which ordinarily carries the voice and datatransmitted to and from the wireless device. The direct communicationinterface 92 typically is comprised of hardware as is known in the art.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of one embodiment of the software layers of thegroup application client, with a PTT facility and a group-directed mediafacility. In this embodiment, the computer platform 82 in the mobiledevice environment consists of a series of software “layers” developedon top of the Mobile Station Modem (MSM) 100 and the Advanced MobileSubscriber Software (AMSS) 102, developed by QUALCOMM, drives theunderlying MSM chipset and implements the software protocol stack forthe entire suite of CDMA communication technologies that includeCDMA2000 1X and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. There is a mobile operating systemlayer 104, which in this embodiment is BREW®, also developed byQUALCOMM. The mobile operating system layer 104 application programminginterfaces for chip or device-specific operations, while providing anisolation layer that eliminates direct contact to the AMSS 100 and anyOEM software on the computer platform. The mobile operating system layer104 enables application development that uses mobile device featureswithout having to rewrite the application each time a new release of thedevice-specific software is released.

The PTT Client 108 is an application that offers access to PTT servicesthrough an external interface, here shown at a PTT-aware UI 106. The PTTClient includes all the functions required to enable mobile operatingsystem 104 applications, such as the Group Media Client 110. In additionto providing access to PTT services with the PTT Client 108, the PTTClient 108 preferably acts as an isolation layer between all PTT-awareapplications and the interface to the group communication computerdevice 102. In this embodiment, the PTT Client 108 maintains access toPTT services, responds to group communication requests, processes allPTT-aware mobile operating system applications requests for PTTservices, processes all outgoing PTT requests, collects and packagesvocoder packets for originating PTT talk spurts, and parses packets ofvocoder data for terminated PTT talk spurts.

The Group Media Client 110 is a mobile operating system-basedapplication that extends PTT services for access to media types otherthan the traditional half duplex voice communications (VoIP-PTT media).The Group Media Client 110 provides access to group-media servicesthrough an external interface, in one embodiment being a separate API,such as a Group Media Aware API. The Group Media Aware UI is anapplication that may be developed entirely as a mobile operatingsystem-based application or used in combination with an AMSS 102interface. The Group Media Aware UI responds to user requests forgroup-directed media services by invoking the appropriate APIs, such asthose from other resident PTT and group media applications 112. TheGroup Media Client 110 services the requests from the user and informsthe user the result of any group-directed media request. The user canalso have settings on the Group Media Client 110 that specify how tohandle an incoming notification that indicates there is a file to bedownloaded from the file management server (data store 36). For example,the Group Media Client 110 can elect to have the file download commenceimmediately or to allow the target user to be prompted to determinewhether to download the file.

Referring to FIG. 5, illustrated is an exemplary mobile communicationdevice 500, and in particular, the user interface for the device. Thedevice typically includes a display 505 that may comprise an LCD or OLEDdisplay. In some embodiments, the display may include touch screencapability. The device may include a keypad 515 that may be a standardphone keypad, or in other embodiments a QWERTY keypad. The device mayalso include navigation buttons 510 that may further comprise up, down,left, and right keys for navigating through the display 505. Thenavigation keys may further comprise a selection or OK key 550 toindicate the user's selection or acknowledgment of a particularfunction. The device may also include soft keys 507 that areprogrammable and used to select the function as indicated in an area ofdisplay 505 near the soft key.

As discussed above, during the time that a talk spurt is being recorded,the device may provide indication that a recording is taking place.Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment the device may illuminate one ormore buttons from keypad 515, navigation buttons 510, or OK key 550. Thebutton(s) may illuminate steady in a particular color, or may flashon/off, or in any other manner as configured in the device or by theuser. Additionally and optionally, the device may provide an indicationof recording on display 505. For example, the device may indicate on thedisplay “Recording In Progress” as indicated by 520. The mobilecommunications device may further provide an aural indication such as aperiodic tone, or provide other indications that may be configured bythe user on the device.

In various embodiments, a method, computer readable product, andwireless communication device is disclosed for enabling a member of aPTT group to receive an indication from at least one other member mobilecommunication device that a current conversation or talk spurt may berecorded. The member may further record the conversation or talk spurt,or receive the recorded conversation or talk spurt that has beenrecorded by another device. The member device may then store therecorded conversation or spurt in a local memory for later retrieval orautomatic playback. The recordation may be stored at the remote datastore 36, group communication server 32, or at any accessible locationwithin the system 10.

As shown in the process of FIG. 6, in one embodiment, a member of a PTTgroup (“talker”) may indicate that a subsequent talk spurt is availablefor recording by other members of the PTT group 12 (“targets”) bypressing the PTT button 78, as shown at operation 600. Thus, the deviceID is transmitted, as shown in operation 620 and then permission is sentthereafter, as shown at operation 604. The talker may continue to speakto the PTT group 12, wherein the spoken content may include informationthat may be desirable for recording. The target devices may hear the PTTvoice in real time while the talk spurt is being recorded. The targetdevices may further be presented the option of recording or saving thetalk spurt for later playback as a voice “sticky note.” Optionally, thevoice sticky note may be allowed to be forwarded to other PTT users orinternet portals and stored on a server, such as data store 36.

In various embodiments, the method for recording a talk spurt mayfurther include implicit or explicit permission to record the talkspurt. By enabling the talker to mark a talk spurt as allowable to besaved, the talker may provide implied permission to record the talkspurt. In other embodiments, the talker may provide explicit permissionto record the talk spurt.

The recording of a talk spurt may be initiated in a number of ways. Forexample, a talker may desire to mark a particular point of aconversation as likely to contain important information for recording,such as marking as starting pint, as shown at step 606. Thus, in oneembodiment the talker may indicate, using the mobile communicationdevice 14, that the subsequent talk spurt may be recorded. Such anindication may be provided by pressing the PTT button, by pressing a“Mark to record” button, by pressing a soft key assigned as a “mark torecord” button, and the like. Such an action may provide an indicationto the mobile communication devices in the group that the subsequenttalk spurt may be recorded, and that other members of the PTT group mayby provided indication that the subsequent talk spurt may be recorded.

The recording of a talk spurt may be terminated in a number of ways. Forexample, a talker may desire to mark a particular point of aconversation as the endpoint of the recordable segment, such as shown bythe receipt of the endpoint from the user and transmission thereof, asshown at operation 608. In one embodiment the talker may indicate, usingthe mobile communication device, that the recording of the talk spurtmay be terminated. Such an indication may be provided by releasing thePTT button if pressing the PTT button was used to initiate therecording. Alternatively, the recording may be terminated by pressing an“End Recording” button, or by pressing a soft key assigned as an “endrecording” button. Such an action may provide an indication to themobile communication device that the subsequent talk spurt should nolonger be recorded, and that other members of the PTT group may byprovided indication that the recording of the talk spurt may beterminated.

Thus, in one embodiment, an indication of the recording is also providedat the device, as shown in operation 610 and then the voice segment isrecorded, as shown at operation 612. The recorded segment can also betransmitted from the device to other group members, as shown atoperation 614. The sending can be through a direct transmission of therecord data through the group communication channel(s) or can be doneindependently therefrom, such as through other voice and/or data trafficchannels.

In an embodiment, the talker may choose to indicate that a talk spurtmay be recorded, but at a time different from the current time. Forexample, the user may indicate that the next PTT session should berecorded. Alternatively, the user may indicate that the recording may beinitiated at a designated time.

In another embodiment, the user may specify specific target users withinthe PTT group. For example, a member of a PTT group may be temporarilyabsent from the member's device. If the talker determines that asubsequent talk spurt should be made available for later playback by theabsent member, the talker may specify that a subsequent talk spurtshould be recorded, and moreover should be recorded on the absentmember's device. In such a case it may be useful for the devices toautomatically record a talk spurt when the talker has providedindication that the talk spurt may be recorded.

In an embodiment, any member of the PTT group 12 may request that aparticular talk spurt be recorded, wherein the requesting member is notthe talker of the spurt. For example, the member may desire to make anote of a particular piece of information spoken by the talker and maybe temporarily unable to write down the information. The member mayrequest that the talker repeat the information and record the subsequenttalk spurt. The request may be indicated in a number of ways. Forexample, such an indication may be provided by pressing the PTT button78, by pressing a “request to record” button, by pressing a soft keyassigned as a “request to record” button, and the like. Such an actionmay provide an indication to the mobile communication device 14 totransmit a request that the subsequent talk spurt be recorded. Therequest may be transmitted to the talker, or in other cases to eachmember of the PTT group 12. Upon receipt of the request by the talker'sdevice, the talker's device may provide an indication that a request torecord has been received. The talker's mobile communication device mayrequest confirmation from the user as to whether the current talk spurtmay be recorded. The device may provide on a user display an indicationrequesting further confirmation from the talker. For example, the devicemay indicate on the display “Are you sure you want the currentconversation to be recorded?” A further press of the PTT, OK, or otherbutton may then indicate that the talker has provided permission torecord the current talk spurt.

In various embodiments, the request to record may be generatedautomatically. A variety of user interactions or device interactions mayautomatically generate the request. In one embodiment, an automaticrequest may be generated when a user closes the mobile device during aPTT session. Such an action may indicate that the user is leaving thesession and that the user may desire to save the rest of the sessionavailable for later playback. In another embodiment, a user mayconfigure a mobile device to automatically generate a request to recordwhen an “End” button is pressed prior to the end of the PTT session.

In various legal jurisdictions, it may be desirable to provide moreexplicit indication of the talker's agreement to record a talk spurt.Various means may be provided to enable such explicit indication. Forexample, upon receiving an indication that the talker desires to markthe current conversation for recording, the mobile communication devicemay request confirmation from the user as to whether the current talkspurt should be recorded. In one embodiment, it may be desirable for themobile communication device 14 to receive two consecutive button pressesbefore transmitting indications to other devices. In another embodiment,the device may provide on a user display an indication requestingfurther confirmation from the talker. For example, the device mayindicate on the display “Are you sure you want the current conversationto be recorded?” A further press of the PTT, OK, or other button maythen indicate that the talker has provided permission to record thecurrent talk spurt. In further embodiments, it may be desirable for eachmember of the PTT group 12 to provide permission for the talk spurt tobe recorded.

The talker may then transmit an indication to each member of the PTTgroup 12 that the current talk spurt may be recorded. Each member of thePTT group, upon receiving the indication, may further record theconversation or talk spurt. The recording may occur automatically uponreceipt of the indication, or upon further indication provided by thetarget. The target device 14,16,18 may not begin recording until theuser provides further indication that a recording is desired.

In an embodiment, the target device may provide indication thatpermission to record the current talk spurt was received. For example,the device may illuminate a button, provide a visual indication on thedevice's user display, provide an aural indication, or provide otherindications that may be configured by the user on the device. The devicemay further provide on the user display an indication requesting furtherconfirmation from the talker. For example, the device may indicate onthe display “Are you sure you want to record the current conversation?”A further press of the PTT, OK, or other button may then indicate thatthe target user has provided permission to record the current talkspurt.

In another embodiment, the talker may be provided the capability torecord the talk spurt on the talker's device, and then transmit therecorded talk spurt to one or more member devices. The target devices14,16,18 may initially receive an indication that a recorded talk spurtis available. The target device, upon further indication from the user,may then receive the recorded talk spurt. In other embodiments thetarget device may automatically receive the recorded talk spurt uponreceiving indication of the recorded spurt's availability. The memberdevice may then store the received conversation or spurt in a localmemory for later retrieval or automatic playback.

As mentioned, the target device 14,16,18, with appropriate permissions,may record a current talk spurt. The recording may be implemented withvarious recording methods such as retaining the as-received messagestream representing the voice segment, or decoding the stream andsimultaneously reproducing the audio on the device's earpiece as well asretaining the decoded stream. During the time period that a talk spurtis being recorded, the device may further provide indication that therecording is taking place. In various embodiments, the device mayilluminate a button, provide a visual indication on the device's userdisplay 80, provide an aural indication, or provide other indicationsthat may be configured by the user on the device. For example, thedevice may indicate on the display “Recording In Progress.”

The recorded talk spurt may be saved locally in a memory 88 of themobile communication device. By saving the voice locally in the device,the user may be provided immediate access to the recorded talk spurt.The term “aural sticky note” is used to describe such a recorded talkspurt in order to highlight the similarities to physical sticky notes.With a physical sticky note, a person may write a note and physicallyattach the note to an appropriate object in the recipient's vicinitysuch as a desktop or a chair. By analogy, an aural sticky note is anaural recording that resides on the target device and “attaches” to thedevice. In some embodiments the aural sticky note only resides on thetarget device or devices. The target user does not have to retrieve theaural sticky note on a server (data store 36). Furthermore, once thetarget user listens to and deletes the aural sticky note, the note maybe deleted from the target device and may no longer be available fromany other source.

While the talk spurt is being recorded, the talker may continue to speakto the PTT group 12, wherein the spoken content may include informationthat may be desirable for recording. The target users may continue tolisten to the talker's PTT voice in real time while the talk spurt isbeing record on the target device. In an embodiment, upon completion ofrecording, the user may be presented with the option of playing thesticky note immediately, or saving the note for later playback. Theoptions may be provided to the user immediately upon completion of therecording, or the options may be provided upon completion of the PTTsession.

In a further embodiment, the user may be provided a further option toforward the voice sticky note to another PTT user. In this case theaural sticky note may be treated as a media entity and may be forwardedin a manner similar to forwarding a photo or other type of media file.Alternatively, the user may be provided the option of forwarding theaural sticky note to another location for saving. For example, the notemay be forward to an internet portal and stored on a server (such asdata store 36).

The aural sticky note may be reproduced and played on the mobilecommunication device. The playing of the sticky note may be triggered byvarious actions. In one embodiment, a device that holds at least oneaural sticky note associated with the device may automatically play thesticky note when the mobile device is opened, in cases where the deviceis a flip phone type of device. Other activation actions such as slidingopen a keyboard protector, or pressing any button to change the currentdevice state from an “inactive” state to and “active” state may triggerthe playing of the sticky note. In other embodiments, the device mayprovide indication on its user interface that an aural sticky note isavailable. An LED indicator or other visual indication may be provided.In one embodiment a portion of the display 80 may indicate that a stickynote is available, for example by displaying “New Sticky Note.”

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for recording voicedata transmissions between mobile communication devices, from theperspective of a device associated with the talker of the voicetransmission. A request to record a subsequent voice transmissionsegment may be received in operation 700. An indication may be providedto the current talker that a request has been received. An indication ofapproval may be received by the device in operation 710. Optionally, asshown in operation 720, the device may further receive indications ofspecific devices within a PTT group that the talker may designate asdevices authorized to record the voice segment. Alternatively, allmembers of the PTT group may be provided permission to record the voicesegment. In operation 730 the appropriate permissions may be transmittedto the entire group or to selected devices.

In some embodiments a starting point for recording may be received inoperation 740 and transmitted to one or more devices in the PTT group12. The talker may use one or more keys on the device to indicate thatrecording may commence. In various embodiments a dedicated recording keymay be provided on the device, or a software key may be assigned as a“start to record” key. Alternatively, pressing an existing key such as“OK” or “PTT” may indicate that recording may commence. Optionally, the“OK” or “PTT” may be pressed continuously to record the voice segment,and released to indicate that the recording should terminate. In oneembodiment the recording may begin automatically at the time the talkerindicates permission to record the voice segment. In other embodiments,the recording may commence upon expiration of a predetermined delay.

In some embodiments an endpoint may be received in operation 650 andtransmitted to one or more devices in the communications group. Theendpoint may indicate that the recording should terminate, or indicate atime at which the recording should terminate. The talker may use one ormore keys on the device to indicate that recording should terminate. Invarious embodiments a dedicated recording key may be provided on thedevice, which when pressed after previously being used to initiate arecording, may now indicate that the recording should terminate.Alternatively, a software key may be assigned as a “stop recording” key.In other embodiments, pressing an existing key such as “OK” or “PTT” mayindicate that recording should terminate after previously having beenused to initiate a recording. In one embodiment, if the “OK” or “PTT” ispressed continuously to record the voice segment, the “OK” or “PTT”button may be released to indicate that the recording should terminate.

In operation 760 the mobile communication device 14 may provide anindication that a voice segment is being recorded. During the time thata talk spurt is being recorded, the device may illuminate a button,provide a visual indication on the device's user display, provide anaural indication, or provide other indications that may be configured bythe user on the device. For example, the device may indicate on thedisplay “Recording In Progress.”

In operation 770 the device may record the voice segment. The recordingmay be implemented with various recording methods such as retaining theas-received message stream, or decoding the stream and simultaneouslyreproducing the audio on the device's earpiece as well as retaining thedecoded stream. The recorded talk spurt may be saved locally in a memoryof the mobile communication device. The user may additionally beprovided an option to forward the recorded voice segment, or voicesticky note, to another PTT user.

FIG. 8A is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for recording voicedata transmissions between mobile communication devices, from theperspective of a device associated with a participant of a PTT group 12that records the voice transmission. A request to record a subsequentvoice transmission segment may be received in operation 800. The devicemay transmit the request to one or more members of the PTT group inoperation 805. An indication of approval may be received by the devicein operation 810. In various embodiments, the device may further receiveindications of approval only from a device associated with a user who iscurrently speaking. In other embodiments, one or more devices within aPTT group may receive permission to record the voice segment.

In operation 815, a device that has received permission may indicate tothe user that permission has been received. The device may illuminate abutton, provide a visual indication on the device's user display,provide an aural indication, or provide other indications that may beconfigured by the user on the device. The user may use one or more keyson the device to indicate that recording may commence. In variousembodiments a dedicated recording key may be provided on the device toindicate that the recording may commence. Alternatively, a software keymay be assigned as a “start recording” key. In other embodiments,pressing an existing key such as “OK” or “PTT” may indicate thatrecording may commence. In one embodiment, the “OK” or “PTT” button maybe pressed continuously to record the voice segment.

In some embodiments the recording may begin automatically at the timethe talker indicates approval to record the voice segment. In otherembodiments, the recording may commence upon expiration of apredetermined delay.

In operation 820 the mobile communication device may commence recordingthe voice transmission segment. The recording may be implemented withvarious recording methods such as retaining the as-received messagestream, or decoding the stream and simultaneously reproducing the audioon the device's earpiece as well as retaining the decoded stream.

In operation 825 the device may provide an indication that a voicesegment is being recorded. During the time that a talk spurt is beingrecorded, the device may illuminate a button, provide a visualindication on the device's user display, provide an aural indication, orprovide other indications that may be configured by the user on thedevice. For example, the device may indicate on the display “RecordingIn Progress.”

Referring now to FIG. 8B, in some embodiments, an endpoint may bereceived in operation 830. The endpoint may indicate that the recordingmay terminate, or indicate a time at which the recording may terminate.The user may use one or more keys on the device to indicate thatrecording may terminate. In various embodiments a dedicated recordingkey may be provided on the device, which when pressed after previouslyhaving been used to initiate a recording, may now indicate that therecording should terminate. Alternatively, a software key may beassigned as a “stop recording” key. Alternatively, pressing an existingkey such as “OK” or “PTT” may indicate that recording should terminateafter previously having been used to initiate a recording. In oneembodiment, if the “OK” or “PTT” is pressed continuously to record thevoice segment, the “OK” or “PTT” button may be released to indicate thatthe recording should terminate.

In operation 835 the device may terminate the recording. In operation840 the recording may be stored in a local memory of the device.However, in some embodiments the voice data may be stored as the voicetransmission is recorded, and further storing action may not benecessary. In operation 850 the user may be provided an option to deletethe recording. The option may be provided at various points of theconversation. For example, the user may be provided the option to deleteupon terminating the recording process. In other embodiments the voicesticky note may be played at a later time and the user may be providedan option to delete during or after the sticky note is played. Inoperation 860 the user may additionally be provided an option to forwardthe recorded voice segment, or voice sticky note, to another PTT user,or to a server or other destination.

In operation 870, the recorded voice segment may be reproduced andplayed on the mobile communication device. As discussed above, theplaying of the sticky note may be triggered by various actions. In oneembodiment, a device that has at least one aural sticky note associatedwith the device may automatically play the sticky note when the mobiledevice is opened, in cases where the device is a flip phone. Otheractivation actions such as sliding open a keyboard protector, orpressing any button to change the current device state from “inactive”to “active” may trigger the playing of the sticky note.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary call-flow process of an embodiment that allowsthe storage and replay of chunks of PTT voice data between PTT callparticipants Client A 902, Client B 904 and Client C 906. The PTT callis setup between the clients and the exchange of permission notice/grantrequests is performed, and the conversation, typically in talk-spurts,will commence. Client A 902 desires to start recording the talk spurts,as shown at step 908, and Client B 904 desires to record theconversations as well, as shown at step 910. Conversely, Client C doesnot wish to record the PTT conversations, as shown at step 912, andthus, Client C 906 will participate in the PTT communications as usual.

Once the talk-spurts comments, Client A 902 begins a timestamp recording914 and Client B likewise begins a timestamp recording 916, grouping thetalk-spurts in various “chunks” such as T1, T2, etc. The chunks in thetimestamp 914 of Client A 902 and timestamp 916 of Client B 904accordingly will match in this embodiment. Thus, Client A 902 couldrefer to chunk T4 on timestamp recording 914 and Client B 904 will beable to identify the same T4 chunk on timestamp recording 916.Alternately, each client device could have its own timestamp criteriafor PTT talk-spurts. In this embodiment, the verbal PTT conversation isdisplayed as each “chunk” of spoken audio in chronological order and canbe differentiated to the user through different visual numbers, colors,position on a display, or the combination of several methods. After thePTT conversations are over, the PTT call terminates.

Thus, Client A 902 and Client B 904 are able to click on an audio“chunk” to replay it with the ability to scroll back in time to viewolder audio from the same conversation. In one embodiment, the clientscan save specific audio “chunks”, such as T1, and forward the selectedaudio chunks—either their own audio or the audio of another—to anotheruser or wireless communication device. This embodiment therefore givesthe PTT the ability to archive an entire conversational exchange of aPTT communication session.

In view of the methods being executable on a mobile device and othercomputer platforms, the method can accordingly be performed by a programresident in a computer readable medium, where the program directs themobile device or other computer device having a computer platform toperform the steps of the method. The computer readable medium can be thememory of the server, or can be in a connective database. Further, thecomputer readable medium can be in a secondary storage media that isloadable onto a wireless communications device computer platform, suchas a magnetic disk or tape, optical disk, hard disk, flash memory, orother storage media as is known in the art.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereofor other physical embodiment of logic. If implemented in software, thefunctions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or moreinstructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readablemedia includes both computer storage media and communication mediaincluding any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer programfrom one place to another. A storage media may be any available mediathat can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other physical data storage media such as optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code inthe form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed bya computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD),laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk andblu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, whilediscs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may bemade without departing from the scope of the present invention as setforth in the following claims. Furthermore, although elements of theinvention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural iscontemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

1. A method of recording voice data transmissions between mobilecommunication devices, comprising: receiving at a first mobilecommunication device an indication that a subsequent voice transmissionsegment may be recorded by at least one other mobile communicationdevice, wherein the first mobile communication device and the at leastone other mobile communication device are members of a communicationgroup of mobile communication devices that each permit users operatingthe mobile communication devices to communicate with each other indirect group communications across a wireless communication network; andtransmitting from the first mobile communication device an indication tosaid at least one other mobile communication device of saidcommunication group that the subsequent voice transmission segment maybe recorded.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving anindication identifying an endpoint of the subsequent voice transmissionsegment; and transmitting an indication identifying the endpoint to saidat least one other mobile communication device.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein said transmitting further comprises transmitting anindication identifying a starting point for said recording, wherein thestarting point is a time different from the current time.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising transmitting said indication that thesubsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded to each member ofthe communication group.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingproviding the user an option to designate devices for receiving saidindication that the subsequent voice transmission segment may berecorded.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting saidindication that the subsequent voice transmission segment may berecorded to devices designated by the user.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the indication that a subsequent voice transmission segment maybe recorded is generated when a Push-To-Talk (PTT) button is pressed. 8.The method of claim 7, wherein the indication identifying an endpoint isgenerated when the PTT button is released.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising recording at least a portion of the subsequent voicetransmission segment; and storing the recorded portion.
 10. The methodof claim 1, further comprising providing an indication that a currentconversation may be recorded.
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving, from said at least one other mobile communicationdevice, a request to record the subsequent voice transmission segment.12. A method of recording voice data transmissions between mobilecommunication devices, comprising: receiving at a mobile communicationdevice an indication from at least one other mobile communication devicethat a subsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded by saidother mobile communication device, wherein the mobile communicationdevices are members of a communication group of mobile communicationsdevices that communicate with each other in direct group communicationsacross a wireless communication network; recording at the receivingmobile communication device at least a portion of the subsequent voicetransmission segment; and storing the recorded portion in a memoryassociated with said receiving mobile communication device.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising receiving an indicationidentifying the endpoint of the subsequent voice transmission segment.14. The method of claim 13, further comprising terminating saidrecording at a time corresponding to said endpoint.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising providing an indication that the subsequentvoice transmission segment is being recorded.
 16. The method of claim12, further comprising: providing an indication on a user interface ofsaid mobile communication device soliciting input whether the subsequentvoice transmission segment should be recorded, wherein the recording andstoring steps are executed upon receiving an indication to record thesubsequent voice transmission segment.
 17. The method of claim 12,further comprising forwarding the recorded subsequent voice transmissionsegment to another destination.
 18. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising storing multiple recorded portions of the voice transmissionsegment on a list such that the recorded portions are identifiable at towhen the recorded portion occurred.
 19. The method of claim 12, whereinsaid recording is performed while the subsequent voice transmissionsegment is reproduced on said mobile communication device.
 20. Themethod of claim 12 further comprising providing an option to delete therecorded portion.
 21. The method of claim 12 further comprising:receiving an indication to request permission to record the subsequentvoice transmission segment; and transmitting a request to record thesubsequent voice transmission segment.
 22. The method of claim 12,further comprising: receiving an indication to record the subsequentvoice transmission segment; and transmitting a request to record thesubsequent voice transmission segment to each member of thecommunication group, wherein the recording and storing steps areexecuted upon receiving permission, from each member of thecommunication group, to record the subsequent voice transmissionsegment.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the indication to record isgenerated by closing a mobile communication device.
 24. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising automatically playing the stored voicetransmission segment when the mobile device is opened or activated. 25.A mobile communication device comprising: logic configured to receive anindication that a subsequent voice transmission segment may be recordedby at least one other mobile communication device, wherein the mobilecommunication device is a member of a communication group of mobilecommunication devices that each permit users operating the mobilecommunication devices to communicate with each other in direct groupcommunications across a wireless communication network; and logicconfigured to transmit to said at least one other mobile communicationdevice an indication that the subsequent voice transmission segment maybe recorded.
 26. The device of claim 25, further comprising: logicconfigured to receive an indication identifying an endpoint of thesubsequent voice transmission segment; and logic configured to transmitan indication identifying the endpoint to said at least one other mobilecommunication device.
 27. The device of claim 25, wherein the indicationthat a subsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded isgenerated when a Push-To-Talk (PTT) button is pressed.
 28. The device ofclaim 27, wherein the indication identifying an endpoint is generatedwhen the PTT button is released.
 29. The device of claim 25, furthercomprising logic configured to provide an indication that a currentconversation may be recorded.
 30. The device of claim 25, furthercomprising logic configured to receive, from said at least one othermobile communication device, a request to record the subsequent voicetransmission segment.
 31. A mobile communication device comprising:logic configured to receive an indication from at least one other mobilecommunication device that a recorded voice transmission segment may betransmitted by said mobile communication device, wherein the mobilecommunication device is a member of a communication group of mobilecommunications devices that each permit users operating the mobilecommunication devices to communicate with each other in direct groupcommunications across a wireless communication network; logic configuredto receive the recorded voice transmission segment; and logic configuredto store the recorded voice transmission segment in a memory associatedwith the mobile communication device.
 32. A mobile communication devicecomprising: logic configured to receive an indication from at least oneother mobile communication device that a subsequent voice transmissionsegment may be recorded by said mobile communication device, wherein themobile communication device and the at least one other mobilecommunication device are members of a communication group of mobilecommunications devices that each permit users operating the mobilecommunication devices to communicate with each other in direct groupcommunications across a wireless communication network; logic configuredto record at least a portion of the subsequent voice transmissionsegment; and logic configured to store the recorded portion in a memoryassociated with said mobile communication device.
 33. The device ofclaim 32, further comprising logic configured to receive an indicationidentifying the endpoint of the subsequent voice transmission segmentand terminate said recording at a time corresponding to said endpoint.34. The device of claim 32, further comprising logic configured toprovide an indication that the subsequent voice transmission segment isbeing recorded.
 35. The device of claim 32, further comprising logicconfigured to perform said recording while the subsequent voicetransmission segment is reproduced on said mobile communication device.36. The device of claim 32, further comprising: logic configured toreceive an indication to request permission to record the subsequentvoice transmission segment.
 37. The device of claim 32, furthercomprising: logic configured to receive an indication to record thesubsequent voice transmission segment; logic configured to transmit arequest to record the subsequent voice transmission segment to eachmember of the communication group; and logic configured to execute therecording and storing steps upon receiving permission, from each memberof the communication group, to record the subsequent voice transmissionsegment.
 38. The device of claim 37, further comprising logic configuredto generate the indication to record when the mobile communicationdevice is closed during an active communication session.
 39. The deviceof claim 32, further comprising logic configured to automatically playthe stored voice transmission segment when the mobile device is openedor activated.
 40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:at least one a set of instructions to receive at a first mobilecommunication device an indication that a subsequent voice transmissionsegment may be recorded by at least one other mobile communicationdevice, wherein the first mobile device and the at least one othermobile communication device are members of a communication group ofmobile communication devices that each permit users operating the mobilecommunication devices to communicate with each other in direct groupcommunications across a wireless communication network; and at least onea set of instructions to transmit an indication to said at least oneother mobile communication device of said communication group that thesubsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded.
 41. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein theindication that a subsequent voice transmission segment may be recordedis generated when a Push-To-Talk (PTT) button is pressed, and theindication identifying an endpoint is generated when the PTT button isreleased.
 42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40,further comprising at least one set of instructions to provide anindication that a current conversation may be recorded.
 43. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, further comprisingat least one set of instructions to receive, from said at least oneother mobile communication device, a request to record the subsequentvoice transmission segment.
 44. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium, comprising: at least one set of instructions to receive at amobile communication device an indication from at least one other mobilecommunication device that a subsequent voice transmission segment may berecorded by said mobile communication device, wherein the mobilecommunication device and the at least one other mobile communicationdevice are members of a communication group of mobile communicationdevices that communicate with each other in direct group communicationsacross a wireless communication network; at least one set ofinstructions to record at the mobile communication device at least aportion of the subsequent voice transmission segment; and at least oneset of instructions to store the recorded portion in a memory associatedwith said mobile communication device.
 45. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising at least oneset of instructions to receive an indication identifying the endpoint ofthe subsequent voice transmission segment and terminate said recordingat a time corresponding to said endpoint.
 46. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 45, further comprising at least oneset of instructions to provide an indication that the subsequent voicetransmission segment is being recorded.
 47. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein said recording isperformed while the subsequent voice transmission segment is reproducedon said mobile communication device.
 48. A mobile communication devicecomprising: means for receiving an indication that a subsequent voicetransmission segment may be recorded by at least one other mobilecommunication device, wherein the mobile communication device is amember of a communication group of mobile communication devices thateach permit users operating the mobile communication devices tocommunicate with each other in direct group communications across awireless communication network; and means for transmitting to said atleast one other mobile communication device an indication that thesubsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded.
 49. A mobilecommunication device comprising: means for receiving an indication fromat least one other mobile communication device that a recorded voicetransmission segment may be transmitted by said mobile communicationdevice, wherein the mobile communication device is a member of acommunication group of mobile communication devices that each permitusers operating the mobile communication devices to communicate witheach other in direct group communications across a wirelesscommunication network; means for receiving the recorded voicetransmission segment; and means for storing the recorded voicetransmission segment in a memory associated with mobile communicationdevice.
 50. A mobile communication device comprising: logic configuredto receive an indication from at least one other mobile communicationdevice that a subsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded bysaid other mobile communication device, wherein the mobile communicationdevices are members of a communication group of mobile communicationsdevices that communicate with each other in direct group communicationsacross a wireless communication network; logic configured to record atthe receiving mobile communication device at least a portion of thesubsequent voice transmission segment; and logic configured to store therecorded portion in a memory associated with said receiving mobilecommunication device.
 51. A mobile communication device, comprising:means for receiving an indication from at least one other mobilecommunication device that a subsequent voice transmission segment may berecorded by said other mobile communication device, wherein the mobilecommunication devices are members of a communication group of mobilecommunications devices that communicate with each other in direct groupcommunications across a wireless communication network; means forrecording at the receiving mobile communication device at least aportion of the subsequent voice transmission segment; and means forstoring the recorded portion in a memory associated with said receivingmobile communication device.
 52. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium, comprising: at least one instruction for receiving at a mobilecommunication device an indication from at least one other mobilecommunication device that a subsequent voice transmission segment may berecorded by said other mobile communication device, wherein the mobilecommunication devices are members of a communication group of mobilecommunications devices that communicate with each other in direct groupcommunications across a wireless communication network; at least oneinstruction for recording at the receiving mobile communication deviceat least a portion of the subsequent voice transmission segment; and atleast one instruction for storing the recorded portion in a memoryassociated with said receiving mobile communication device.
 53. A methodof recording voice data transmissions between mobile communicationdevices, comprising: receiving an indication from at least one othermobile communication device that a recorded voice transmission segmentmay be transmitted by said mobile communication device, wherein themobile communication device is a member of a communication group ofmobile communications devices that each permit users operating themobile communication devices to communicate with each other in directgroup communications across a wireless communication network; receivingthe recorded voice transmission segment; and storing the recorded voicetransmission segment in a memory associated with the mobilecommunication device.
 54. A non-transitory computer-readable medium,comprising: at least one instruction for receiving an indication from atleast one other mobile communication device that a recorded voicetransmission segment may be transmitted by said mobile communicationdevice, wherein the mobile communication device is a member of acommunication group of mobile communications devices that each permitusers operating the mobile communication devices to communicate witheach other in direct group communications across a wirelesscommunication network; at least one instruction for receiving therecorded voice transmission segment; and at least one instruction forstoring the recorded voice transmission segment in a memory associatedwith the mobile communication device.
 55. A method of recording voicedata transmissions between mobile communication devices, comprising:receiving an indication from at least one other mobile communicationdevice that a subsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded bysaid mobile communication device, wherein the mobile communicationdevice and the at least one other mobile communication device aremembers of a communication group of mobile communications devices thateach permit users operating the mobile communication devices tocommunicate with each other in direct group communications across awireless communication network; recording at least a portion of thesubsequent voice transmission segment; and storing the recorded portionin a memory associated with said mobile communication device.
 56. Amobile communication device, comprising: means for receiving anindication from at least one other mobile communication device that asubsequent voice transmission segment may be recorded by said mobilecommunication device, wherein the mobile communication device and the atleast one other mobile communication device are members of acommunication group of mobile communications devices that each permitusers operating the mobile communication devices to communicate witheach other in direct group communications across a wirelesscommunication network; means for recording at least a portion of thesubsequent voice transmission segment; and means for storing therecorded portion in a memory associated with said mobile communicationdevice.